John Sattler

After an uneasy start to his career John Sattler proved to be one of the greatest captains in the history of the Souths club. A late starter in the game, the young firebrand played for Kurri Kurri in the early 1960s and represented Newcastle against Great Britain in 1962. Coming to Souths, Sattler quickly earned a reputation as a hothead and was sent off on several occasions. He played in the young Rabbitohs team that lost to St George in the 1965 grand final and while the club was on the verge of greatness, the turning point proved to be Sattler's selection as captain in 1967. Souths played in five straight grand finals under his leadership, winning four (1967-68, 1970-71). Sattler toured with the 1967-68 Kangaroos, playing in 9 minor matches, and after captaining NSW in 1969, led Australia on a whirlwind tour of NZ (six matches in 13 days including three Tests). In 1970 he captained Australia in the Second Test against Great Britain and would have led Australia into the World Cup competition (Graeme Langlands was injured) but for a sickening injury suffered in the grand final against Manly. Sattler may be tired of being constantly reminded of his act of courage, but to play the majority of a match with a broken jaw is remarkable. When Souths were beaten in the semi-finals in 1972, Sattler went to Brisbane and captained Queensland in 1973. A great ambassador for the code, he was later involved in the promotion of the G’Coast club into the Sydney premiership in 1988. In 2004 he was named captain of Souths’ ‘Team of the Century’.